As Apple introduced two new iPhones today, Twitter lit up with excited comments and digs.

"Tim Cook just walked by us and, spotting a reporter's Windows Phone handset remarked "You need a new phone." #Apple," tweeted @martyn_williams. (Williams is a reporter for the IDG News Service, which is owned by IDG, the parent company of Computerworld.)

When big events, like corporate shakeups and elections, capture the public's attention, many flock to Twitter to see what others are saying and to chime in with their first impressions, frustrations and rants.

Apple stirred up the online chatter Tuesday when CEO Tim Cook unveiled the iPhone 5S, along with a cheaper and colorful iPhone 5C. The new iPhone had been highly anticipated and users took to Twitter to get people's first impressions of the devices.

Alexandra Valasek, a Twitter spokeswoman, said posts about Apple's announcement peaked at more than 24,000 tweets per minute Tuesday afternoon. That's a strong number but not astronomical. During the 2010 World Cup, for instance, a record was set when the game garnered 120,000 tweets per minute.

Apple-related hashtags -- such as iPhone 5C, AppleEvent and Tim Cook -- frequently hit Twitter's Top Trends. Even hours after the event ended, tweets related to it made up five of the top 10 trending topics.

Many of the tweets reflected users' excitement about two new phones hitting the market.

"Every time I say I won't watch the Apple live event. Then I do. I say I won't want the new toy. Then I do. #downwardspiral #want," tweeted @mjenkins.

And @JRehling tweeted, "Someone from Apple let me hold an iPhone 5 for a second and I said "My preciousssss!" and crawled into a sewer drain with it."

However, not everyone was so impressed.

"Tch. Earlier, Apple used to change the world. These days they make mildly better & cheaper versions of their own products," tweeted @rameshsrivats.

Many comments were focused on the new iPhone's built-in fingerprint scanner.

"Hey #apple, what are you doing with those fingerprints you're collecting through the #5s?" asked @kelmej on Twitter.

And @cschrader tweeted, "great. Now I need to worry about people stealing my phone AND cutting off my finger? #apple #iphone."